New Delhi, 9 May

A wooden dhow carrying general cargo with 18 Indian crew members capsized near the Strait of Hormuz after catching fire, leaving one Indian national dead and four receiving burn injuries, said a Government source.

The incident occurred on Friday near the strategic waterway, with authorities still working to determine the exact cause of the fire. According to the source, the crew members were rescued by a passing vessel after the dhow caught fire and overturned.

"In this incident, one Indian on the dhow died while four received burn injuries," the source told ANI, adding that the injured crew members are currently receiving treatment in Dubai and are reported to be safe.

Indian consular officials met the rescued nationals shortly after the incident, the source said.

"Our officials from the Indian Consulate met the rescued Indian nationals yesterday night itself. The consulate is also in touch with the Dhow owner and extending all possible assistance," the source added.

Earlier on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that 11 Indian ships had exited the Strait of Hormuz and 13 ships continue to be in the Persian Gulf.

Jaiswal, while addressing a press briefing here, was asked about reports that the Iranian ships might be taking routes through Pakistani territorial waters and then Indian territorial waters to avoid the US blockade and whether there was a need to seek special permission from the Indian authorities to do that.

"Regarding the reports that Iranian ships might be taking routes through Indian territorial waters to avoid blockades: if ships of other countries want to ply in international waters, no permission is required. However, for the specific question of entering Indian waters, that is a technical issue that the Ministry of Shipping or the relevant technical authorities would need to answer," Jaiswal said.

"We have had forward movement as a result of our diplomatic engagement and conversations with the Iranians. So far, 11 Indian ships have exited the Strait of Hormuz. 13 ships continue to be in the Persian Gulf, and we continue to be in touch with the Iranian authorities so that the remaining ships can also cross the Strait of Hormuz and reach their destination in India," he added.